Florida consumers have much at stake in the 2013 Legislature

From property insurance to home foreclosures to eye care, Florida consumers have much at stake in the 2013 Florida Legislature. But as often is the case, it will be hard to find the consumers’ voice in the middle of many of the legislative battles that will be fought during the next two months.

Consider the issue of home foreclosures, a critical topic for consumers and Florida’s real estate market in a state that claimed the nation’s highest foreclosure rate last year.

Lawmakers are considering legislation aimed at speeding up the rate of foreclosures, a move proponents say would allow lenders and homeowners to resolve their issues more quickly.

Sen. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, contends the legislation could hurt struggling homeowners. He has filed four bills that he says would help families “save their homes and make them more affordable as well as provide meaningful debt relief.”

But Soto said he is not sure if any of his bills will get a hearing.

Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, said some of the showdowns this year reflect the fact that the state regulates various professions and industries, with each group trying to use the legislative arena to their advantage.

“There grows up in Tallahassee a culture of one upmanship where this session one group within an industry or a profession will try to get a leg up and the next year the other group will get a leg up,” Gaetz said.

What happens in the session also will likely mirror a generally pro-business attitude in the Republican-dominated Legislature. From foreclosures to property insurance, lawmakers tend to view what’s good for business as good for the state, and by extension consumers.

But consumer voices are often lost in a process dominated by hundreds of lobbyists and special interest groups that have pumped millions of dollars into political parties and campaign accounts. There are some consumer interest groups but their numbers are small compared with the overall lobbying corps.

In the case of the annual “eyeball wars” in Tallahassee, both sides say they have the consumers in mind.

It’s a clash between the optometrists, who want the right to prescribe oral medications for their patients, against the ophthalmologists, who have opposed the legislation.

The optometrists say the bills will help patients more easily find eye care and eliminates an outdated law.

The ophthalmologists say the measures could put patient safety at risk, because optometrists do not have the advanced medical training that ophthalmologists have.

It will be up to legislators to settle the dispute — which they have been unable to do in recent years.

Gaetz knows the eye care issue well since he has tried to resolve the matter in previous years. But he also said the controversy is emblematic of the legislative clashes between various industries and interest groups.

“I think that the public welfare is not served by constantly jockeying back and forth on issues like this,” said Gaetz, who added that he has told some of his key committee leaders to “not to litter their committee agendas with internecine warfare” and to keep in mind “the interest of the consumers and how they can be protected.”

On the issue of property insurance, that doesn’t mean homeowners should look for lawmakers to rein in skyrocketing premiums.

Many state leaders contend that insurance rates are artificially constrained, partly because of the state-run Citizens Property Insurance. They are pushing once again to reduce the size of a company that covers some 1.3 million homeowners, saying the company leaves taxpayers and non-Citizens policyholders vulnerable to assessments to make up shortages if the government-backed insurer cannot pay bills from a major hurricane season.

“Here’s the painful truth: insurance costs in Florida are probably going to go up,” said Gaetz, who lives in a waterfront home in a Panhandle district that includes many Citizens customers.

Sen. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, said Senate Democrats were willing to look at the issue but were not likely to support any legislation that could lead to major rate increases for Floridians.

“We’ve kind of drawn the line in the sand that we’re not going to hurt the consumers anymore,” Smith said, noting his insurance bill in Broward County has doubled in recent years. “Consumers can’t take any more harm. So at the very least this year, we’re looking to do no harm.”

Lloyd Dunkelberger

Lloyd Dunkelberger is the Htpolitics.com Capital Bureau Chief.
He can be reached by email or call 850 556-3542.
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Last modified: March 5, 2013
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